Inside Imagine Homes: Bringing New Life to Homes in Indianapolis

At Imagine Homes, we’re not just passionate about providing high-quality single-family rental homes. We’re all about nurturing a culture where we bring value into the neighborhoods we’re in and deliver best-in-class experiences. We sat down with the new Regional Acquisitions Manager, Andrea Regan, to get a better idea of the progress for our new market in Indianapolis, and the things that excite her the most about working with the company.

I’m incredibly passionate about rebuilding things.

This explains why I’ve been in the real estate industry for over 22 years. Having worked in every aspect of the field, I’ve worn many hats since the 2000s: loan officer, mortgage broker, and even real estate flipper.

When I decided to move on from my role as a mortgage broker, I met someone who had been in the business of flipping real estate for ages and he became my mentor.

At the time, he came to me with a pitch for a partnership—he needed someone to act as a broker for his properties and I wanted to know more about what went into what he did. From buying homes, working alongside two to three crews who would come and renovate the properties, and then flipping that property.

While working alongside him, I gained more knowledge and realized that people on his side of the table are more successful than someone like me in the mortgage industry. This inspired me to move towards that side of the business—prompting me to try bird-dogging properties.

This went on for roughly a year and a half until I started flipping houses myself and working with my own crew for renovation tasks.

As I dug into the world of flipping houses, it dawned on me that knowing the value of houses after the renovation process is a big factor in being successful.

To understand the value of the houses after they have been renovated, I enrolled at the Appraisal Institute and took 1,000 hours of courses. After graduating, I knew the experience had increased my real estate knowledge tenfold, considering that it’s one of the most critical aspects of the business.

I continued flipping houses throughout the years, up until the market became scarce. Then in 2011, I was hired as the Vice President of Acquisitions at American Homes 4 Rent. That was about the time that I also saw the significant uptick in the market of renting properties because many institutional assets were being purchased through private equity funds.

So, in a nutshell: my two decades in real estate consist of mortgaging, flipping houses, obtaining a real estate broker’s license, performing work as a licensed general contractor, starting a real estate brokerage of my own, and graduating from The Appraisal Institute. That cumulative experience has led to the position I have now with Imagine Homes, which is a perfect fit.

Unlike other companies that usually just run the mill, Imagine Homes is very neighborhood-centric.

One of the reasons I decided to take this position at Imagine Homes is that it’s both exciting, challenging, and the company culture is different from other companies on this side of real estate.

Having worked for several hedge fund types of buyers in the Indianapolis real estate scene, I’m familiar with how they work internally. And since I’d done my own freelance acquisitions while sourcing properties for multiple hedge funds on the side, the idea of going back into the corporate setting didn’t feel like it was in the cards for me.

But when someone reached out through LinkedIn and asked me if I was open to learning about new opportunities—I decided to hear him out.

That’s where I learned about Imagine Homes Management and its culture and how this sets them apart from the typical corporate setting. They’re not just trying to stack up houses and money. They genuinely care about their employees.

As a company, Imagine Homes has a more robust corporate culture by having an “employee-first” attitude. The idea of working with them ignited a spark in me.

Imagine Homes Management is passionate about investing in specific areas.

My familiarity with the Indianapolis market allows us to get a good look at our competition: their model, strategies, and how we can differentiate ourselves from that.

I can say that we focus on a couple of things that most companies do not focus on: we determine houses in various areas and specify those that could work for its market structure.

Houses are remodeled to attract a particular type of tenant, making it easy for us to focus our efforts on one particular geographic area. Because of this, we can market them directly to neighborhoods and agents that can gain a high sales volume.

We’re also big on creating relationships with agents. I used to not be fond of agents, since they don’t like people purchasing for hedge funds. I’ve been working to change that perception, and we’ve so far created a sense of collaboration with these agents, allowing us to work towards a common goal.

One of the best things about my role is being in a supportive, employee-focused, and relationship-driven company.

It’s exciting how Imagine Homes encourages us to build relationships across the industry—which is a must in the real-estate field. When I was still in the private equity funds, I was the take-it-or-leave-it kind of person—especially because our offers are pricey.

It wasn’t essential for me to go out and build strong relationships with other people. In fact, my past role felt like I was part of a big machine—one that just operates and churns out offers to people.

Imagine Homes is different; it’s a lot more personable. Here, we don’t just buy and sell. We build relationships. We create partnerships. This doesn’t just open opportunities for us; it also allows us to grow. There’s value in developing relationships in the industry, because it can sometimes lead to opportunities like additional deals.

At Imagine Homes, we’re all about providing a nice, structurally sound home in a rental.

The thing is, we’ve got so much to offer in our rental market. There are a lot of properties similar to each other with no character at all—say, those built after 1993 or 1995. Although it works for some people, it doesn’t fit others with specific needs.

To be exact, having a large home is essential for buyers who have pets or a family with multiple children. You want a little more space. That’s what we’re here for: to offer high-quality finished properties that aren’t your standard rental grade renovations.

I’ve always believed that there are people in between the rental and the purchase market who want to live in an excellently renovated home that doesn’t necessarily feel like they’re renting at all. That’s where we come in.

I love that I’m a part of a company that allows me to give homes a new life.

Nothing excites me more than seeing an abandoned house become its highest potential. It’s motivating how I can see the vision for what needs to be done to take a home to the level of what it can be—and I’ve never felt that with other companies. I’m the kind of person who enjoys starting from scratch—from changing carpets to arranging the appliances.

One example is a project we’re doing now: it’s a home that’s just been completely ransacked. Although it looks rough and needs a lot of work, I appreciate the beauty of seeing the vision of what the house can look like once it’s restored.

More than making a significant change in the homes of future renters, it’s exciting to leave a remarkable difference in an area, too.

At Imagine Homes, we don’t only care about the tenants, residents, and our employees—we also care about the homes.

What sets us apart from others is our passion for providing suitable housing for people—not the money, numbers, or even data. We care about our homes and, overall, the residents who will be inhabiting them.

Experience all of the benefits and advantages of homeownership—in a rental.

Our residents deserve to feel truly at home. Beyond fully-renovated homes, our locations are also second to none. We make it so easy, all you have to do is come home.

Talk to our team—we’d love to know how we can help.

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